Scientists in Switzerland have taken a step toward turning sunlight directly into fuel.
Researchers at the University of Basel developed a molecule that captures and stores solar energy in a way similar to plants. The discovery could overcome one of the most persistent obstacles to artificial photosynthesis, a technology often called the holy grail of clean energy.
Artificial photosynthesis aims to convert sunlight into storable fuels rather than electricity. Batteries can store renewable energy but remain heavy, costly, and unsuitable for large-scale global transport. Liquid fuels, by contrast, could power ships, planes, and heavy industries that are hard to electrify. They could also move through existing pipelines and shipping routes. Importantly, these fuels would release only the carbon dioxide absorbed during their production, closing the loop and avoiding new emissions.
The Basel team’s findings, published in Nature Chemistry, mark progress toward this vision. Their molecule can store four charges from light in a stable state. This storage is crucial because fuel-making reactions often require more than one electron at a time. Water splitting, for example, needs multiple charges to separate hydrogen from oxygen.
Until now, most laboratory efforts required extremely powerful lasers. Those conditions bear little resemblance to sunlight in the natural environment. However, the new molecule can accumulate and stabilize charges under dimmer light levels, closer to real-world solar intensity. That difference makes it far more practical for future energy systems.
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Fuels made from sunlight store power in liquid form
The molecule itself has a carefully designed structure. It consists of five interconnected parts. On one side, two units release electrons and become positively charged. On the opposite side, two units absorb electrons and become negatively charged. In the center, a light-absorbing unit triggers the process. After two exposures to light, the molecule stores both sets of charges, effectively bottling solar energy in chemical form.
“This stepwise excitation makes it possible to use significantly dimmer light,” said Mathis Brändlin, a doctoral student and lead author.
“As a result, we are already moving close to the intensity of sunlight.” His supervisor, professor Oliver Wenger, described the work as an important piece of the puzzle. He stressed that a fully functioning artificial photosynthesis system remains a future goal.
Artificial photosynthesis holds promise precisely because it can bypass the limitations of conventional renewables. Solar and wind power produce electricity, but storing and moving that electricity over long distances is inefficient.
Fuels made from sunlight would address intermittency by storing power in liquid form, available even when the sun does not shine. Furthermore, they could slot into existing global fuel networks, replacing oil and gas without requiring entirely new infrastructure.
Pilot projects across the globe have already demonstrated some potential. Japan has invested heavily in photocatalyst research, linking it to its broader hydrogen strategy.
The European Union has launched “Sun-to-Liquid” projects designed to produce jet fuel from solar energy. In the United States, laboratories have built prototypes for solar-driven hydrogen production. However, all of these efforts remain limited by scale. Efficiency losses and expensive materials continue to slow progress.
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Artificial photosynthesis could reshape global energy politics
Global energy demand keeps climbing, and fossil fuels still dominate aviation, shipping, and heavy industry. These sectors account for a large share of emissions and remain resistant to electrification. As a result, researchers and policymakers are seeking alternatives that balance scalability, sustainability, and practicality.
Additionally, supporters argue that artificial photosynthesis could reshape global energy politics. Nations without fossil fuel reserves could produce their own solar-derived fuels. This shift would diversify supply chains and reduce reliance on carbon-intensive imports. In addition, liquid solar fuels could stabilize markets by offering renewable options that behave like traditional energy commodities.
Challenges remain before the Basel breakthrough translates into commercial use. The new molecule demonstrates a key principle but not a complete system. Engineers must still integrate light capture, charge storage, and fuel production into a single efficient process. Furthermore, the costs of producing the molecules at industrial scale remain unknown.
Even so, experts see the work as a milestone. Storing multiple charges under natural sunlight conditions has long been a sticking point. By solving that problem, researchers open doors to practical systems that could one day power tankers, aircraft, and factories without fossil fuels.
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joseph@mugglehead.com
